We’ve been so thankful for the way Second Chance Month has expanded as a nationwide effort since 2017. Together with our partners, we strive to remove barriers and unlock second chances for men and women with a criminal record.
More than 20 states, Washington D.C., and the White House officially named April 2024 as Second Chance Month! Also, more than 880 churches, businesses, and organizations joined Prison Fellowship as official Second Chance Month partners.
Prison Fellowship launched a social media campaign throughout April to raise awareness of Second Chance Month, with hashtags like #SecondChanceMonth, #UnlockingSecondChances, and #BeTheKey shared thousands of times across X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Our advocates asked lawmakers to remove barriers for people with a criminal record.
Our friends at City Church Chicago held their Second Chance Sunday service on April 7, in which Pastor Kent Munsey shared a powerful sermon on redemption and the second chance we have in Christ. (You can watch the recording here.)
I am thrilled to see Second Chance Sundays gaining momentum with our church partners. We are prayerful that as the message of second chances continues to be preached in our nation's pulpits, it will demonstrate the Gospel and a consistent witness to our culture.
At Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma, women in a graduate program for the Prison Fellowship Academy recently held a special conference called Empowering Women With Second Chances. This program allows incarcerated men and women to live out their transformation and practice the Values of Good Citizenship they first embraced in the Prison Fellowship Academy. The program has grown to 21 chapters, enabling participants to perform service projects, receive peer support, build community, and continue their transformation journeys in their prison community.
Academy graduates at Mabel Bassett have collaborated on positive ways to impact their community. For the women’s conference, they invited five inspirational presenters and saw around 300 women attend the event. I’m grateful for the passionate vision these women have shared, along with the cooperation of the department of corrections, that made this event a reality.
Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers as we follow God's leading. If you would like our prayer team to lift you up, please let us know. It's our joy and privilege to do this work with you.
Serving Him with you,
HEATHER RICE-MINUS President and CEO
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